Introduction
Every year we celebrate the Covenant Service together near the start of the year. This service comes from the Methodist Church and reminds us of the three Covenants, or binding agreements, God has made with the human race and of our place in the New Covenant sealed by Jesus' blood on the Cross. This service and the words of the Covenant we will be renewing a little later on come from John Wesley - the founder of the Methodist Church and it is one of their gifts to the wider Church. The Covenant is, if you like, our religious New Year's resolution and a resolution which will, hopefully, last a little longer than our other ones!
The First Covenant - With Noah
The word "covenant" simply means "agreement" or "solemn agreement". We don't hear it much in everyday English - its use is restricted to the Church and to the Law. If you sell a house and there are conditions on its sale then a "covenant" or agreement to this effect will be added to the legal contract. In Church we use the word Covenant to mean the solemn agreement between God and his people. The first such agreement is found in the book of Genesis and was made by God to Noah. We read in Genesis 9: 8-18:
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."
In this first Covenant God promises never to destroy life again on the earth. The waters of the Great Flood have subsided in the story and now God promises Noah that he will never again destroy all life. The sign of this covenant will be the Rainbow. Whenever we see a rainbow we remember God's love of life and vitality and His promise never to wipe it out.
The Covenant with Abraham
Over time, however, the people forgot their side of the bargain and failed to worship and honour God. So God again made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham had been a nomad who worshipped just One God. He came to know this One God who made a covenant with him and with his descendants. We read in Genesis 17: 1-14:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
Abraham is told that he will be the father of many nations and that kings will come from him. He is told that this covenant is an everlasting one between God and the descendants of Abraham. The sign of this covenant is not to be a rainbow in the sky but a physical mark in male flesh, circumcision. This is the sign of the covenant between God and the people. Jesus was circumcised in accordance with the Law and Jewish males today are circumcised on the 8th day of their life as a sign of God's on-going agreement with the Jewish people.
The New Covenant
As Christians most of us are not Jewish by race. We are not born into the Covenant of Abraham and Christian baby boys are not required to be circumcised. But Jesus came to expand the old Jewish notions about God and to show that God wanted a covenant, a binding agreement with all people.
On
the one hand God promises to forgive the sins of those who seek forgiveness,
to raise them to new life in this world and to promise them physical resurrection
and the pleasures of heaven in the next. We receive new life as a free gift,
not because we have earned it by being good, but because we have simply
asked for it and trusted that God would forgive us and set us free from
all the binds us.
On the other hand we promise to live no longer for ourselves but for God.
I often say that we are to be living sacrifices - but living sacrifices
are always tempted to crawl off the altar at the last minute!
This new covenant between God and humanity is also sealed by a mark in the flesh, but in the flesh of Jesus. We remind ourselves of this every time we celebrate communion together. We read in St Luke's Gospel 22: 14-20:
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Last week we saw that the gifts from the Magi represented Jesus as King, Priest and as Sacrifice. Every time we share communion we understand Jesus in these three ways. We recall the death of the King on the cross and his body broken and blood spilt out as both a sacrifice and a sign of the bridge he made, as our High Priest, between Heaven and Earth.
The New and Eternal Life given to us with forgiveness from God is God's sign of the binding agreement He has made with us. Our side of this agreement is to live no longer for ourselves but for God. This is our covenant and the sign of this covenant is the communion meal we share together each week.
What does this Covenant Involve us Doing?
This new covenant was summed up by Wesley in the words we are using later on in this service. In sum it means that in response to the love of God poured out for us we promise to submit to God's will. The words we will say are set out on the service sheets.
I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in Heaven. Amen.
Conclusion
The covenant is not a gospel of good works, but a gospel of grace. It is not a gospel of us trying to please God, but a gospel of God coming to us with strength and mercy. That is why, this afternoon, whatever our circumstances, whatever our faith, we can make this covenant of God our own, giving ourselves to Him, trusting in His promises and relying on His grace.
Amen.
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.